Life of a Pureblood (Year 4)
by morganna12
Summary: The time has finally come for the Dark Lord to announce his return. The four Slytherins return to Hogwarts with their missions, looking to prove Snape's loyalty once and for all, and to find allies among the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students hosted by Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. But is it safe for them there with Dumbledore plotting and an Auror as a professor?
1. Ultimatums

Chapter One

As a person who already wasn't interested in Quidditch, Hermione couldn't focus on this game for more than a few moments. She wasn't entirely sure how Draco and Blaise were doing it. Looking over at Pansy, Hermione saw that she was just as distracted; she kept glancing behind the group over to where the Weasley family and Potter were seated.

"It's just so crazy," she said to Hermione, when she noticed her stare, "they have no clue what this night is going to bring."

Hermione nodded, turning to look at the group as well. The Weasley family was in a mix of green and red, apparently split in which team they were rooting for. Potter was amongst them, though he had been seated for most of the game. Weasel had tried to coax him into conversation, apparently with very little success. _Still mourning the lost of Black_, she thought, grinning, _you're in for a hell of a night, Potter, maybe if you're lucky you'll forget about your shitty life for a while in wake of a new disaster_.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face," Hermione told Pansy. Pansy looked at her, surprised, before laughing.

"Doesn't the Dark Lord want us out of the way before he makes his appearance? I should have known you had a plan."

Hermione laughed as well, "If the Dark Lord thinks he's going to have all the fun, he doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does."

At this, Draco cast her a look, "You're a fool to think the Dark Lord is your friend, Hermione. You shouldn't go against orders."

"What's the worst he can do, torture me? Been there, done that." She replied, crossly.

Hermione saw Draco's face darken, before he turned to face her completely,

"He's tortured you?"

"Hermione, why didn't you tell us about this?" Pansy asked.

Hermione's prickly mood softened at their concern.

"It wasn't a big deal—he was just trying to prove a point." She explained.

"He obviously proved just the opposite, if you're willing to cross him again," Draco replied.

"What curse did he use?" Blaise asked, joining the conversation.

"The Cruciatus," she said reluctantly, trying to gauge the anger that showed on Draco's features, "Can we just change the subject?" She cut in, before anyone else could speak again of her brief torture session.

"Yes," Pansy said, "but only because I want to hear the plan."

Hermione looked over to Draco and Blaise, the latter of the two was trying to focus on the conversation, but kept shooting glances at what was happening in the game.

"Well, as you know, the Dark Lord cast the linking spell on me at the meeting last night. That will get him in range of us but it's not 100% accurate so he'll have to track me the rest of the way using Legilimency. He's supposed to let me know when he's close enough, so we leave and he shows up."

"That all seems very straightforward to me," Pansy commented, "are we going to leave and then just come back? The Dark Lord would be furious."

"Exactly, that's why we're never going to leave in the first place. He'll tell us to, and I'll confront him then and there saying no. He doesn't have time to argue, Potter could decide to leave at any minute, and he could lose his chance completely. He'll have no choice but to show himself with us still there."

"You're mad," Blaise said, looking serious, "You think he'll be any less angry when you put him in a corner like that—forcing him to make a move? You'll be signing yourself up for a rigorous torture session, and us along with you."

"Don't worry about that," she dismissed, "I'll tell Him that it was all me—you won't get in trouble, but we'll get to see the look on Potter's face when he realizes that the Dark Lord has returned."

"Hermione, it's all of us or nothing. We aren't going to let you take the fall," Draco told her, "Personally, seeing Potter's reaction is worth a little bit of suffering afterward."

"So we're agreed?" Hermione asked.

The four Slytherins simultaneously looked back at the group behind them, seeing that Weasel had finally coaxed Potter to his feet, and they were cheering together. It was the first time Hermione had seen Potter smile since they'd arrived, and she was ready to ensure it was his last one of the day.

"Agreed."

Draco threw an arm around Hermione's shoulder, "Now, can we try to have a good time until then?"

She laughed, and the group turned back toward the game, "Alright," she said, "What's the score?"

* * *

><p>By the end of the game, even Hermione had to admit that she had been on the edge of her seat. School games really were nothing when comparing to professional players. She still couldn't believe that the Bulgarian seeker had caught the snitch, but the Irish team had won. That had definitely never happened at Hogwarts. However, as time went on and celebrations (on the Irish fans' part at least) continued, the game drew further and further from Hermione's thoughts. Lucius had left the friends to their own devices after the game's conclusion, having to join the rest of the Death Eaters before their fun began. They had passed the time by sitting around a fire, using spells on it to change the color and size of the flames. When Hermione heard the first signs of disruption down at the end of the campsite, she almost jumped to her feet, but Draco grabbed her arm to keep her calm. They were in plain sight of the Weasleys' tent, though the lot of them had gone inside a while before.<p>

Hermione looked at Draco, and they shared a grin, waiting in anticipation as the noises grew louder. She could hear shouts, and screaming, but she never took her eyes off of the tent across the way. Finally, Arthur Weasley stuck his head outside, obviously assuming the sounds were just that of celebration—he realized very quickly that he was wrong. The Death Eaters had begun setting tents on fire, and pulling people out of other tents to torment. Hermione had made a mental list of the targets, checking them all off in her head when she saw them pulled outside. As the Dark Lord had ordered, they did not hold back on the curses—they ranged from embarrassing spells to painful ones, though Hermione also did not miss the occasional flash of green light coming from Death Eater wands.

The chaos began to spread as the Death Eaters got closer to them, and at that moment, everyone emerged from the Weasleys' tent. Arthur and three of the older red-heads ran toward the commotion, in order to help. That left everyone they wanted left—Potter, Weasel, the twins and Longbottom, who had joined the group after the game. She could see the look on Potter's face as he took in the mayhem before him. Although Longbottom and any Weasley child would know about the terror of the Dark Lord's reign, Potter had never seen anything like it firsthand. As he looked around, he caught her gaze; though she averted her eyes quickly, she knew it was very telling that while everyone else ran in terror, the friends still sat casually around the fire. _Good, let him think what he wants. He'll know for sure in a few moments anyway_. When Hermione looked over again, Potter was still staring at her. However, as an explosion echoed throughout the campsite, Weasel grabbed Potter's arm and they headed off away from the mayhem. Hermione jumped to her feet without pause, hurrying after them with only one glance to see that her friends were doing the same. They weaved through the crowd of terrified witches and wizards, pushing through when necessary, never losing sight of the group thanks to the three gingers among them.

The screaming and sounds of explosions seemed to follow them as they walked, meaning the Death Eaters were picking up the pace, as part of the plan. Hermione could only hope they were succeeding in finding all of their targets—blood traitors, Mudbloods. Any Mudbloods with decent jobs in the Ministry were at the receiving end of the Killing Curse.

At that moment, Hermione caught a glimpse of the Head of the Muggle Liaison office—a Mudblood, obviously, pushing through the crowds near Potter. She thought of something that would show Potter how this night was about to change; she also knew that the Mudblood couldn't get away—he was on the list of people to kill. Raising her wand, she said two words that she'd never said before that moment,

"_Avada kedavra_."

She watched as a bolt of green light hit the man, and he fell to the ground. Her friends looked at her in surprise but they didn't stop moving. Potter turned to glance at the body on the ground, shock in his eyes. A rush of power and adrenaline coursed through her. _Merlin_, she thought, _that felt good. _Luckily, Weasel grabbed Potter and they continued through the crowds, without seeing the group following behind them.

"Hermione," Draco hissed, "you just successfully cast an Unforgiveable on the first try."

She shot him a grin, "I did, didn't I?"

Finally, Potter and the rest reached the forest line. They followed inconspicuously behind them, ducking into the woods as well. Hermione's heart was pounding as they began to catch up to the group. The mental and physical effects of using Dark magic was always very strong especially at the beginning, or so the Dark Lord had told her. Maybe using such a powerful spell right before doing something this important wasn't such a good idea. _Or maybe it was the best idea I've had all day_, she added, _I suppose it could go either way at this point_. The Gryffindors stopped, gasping as they all caught their breath and they began to talk about what they had just witnessed. Hermione stopped, using a hand to tell her friends to pause as well. They hid behind a clustering of trees, waiting for the opportune moment to join the conversation.

"What _was_ that?" Potter asked, looking around at his group, "Who were those people?"

"They've his—his followers," Longbottom said, trembling, "You-Know-Who's."

"Voldemort's followers? Why would they come here _now_?" Potter asked, though he was interrupted by a chorus of 'Don't say the name' before anyone replied.

"One can only guess what those psychopaths want," one of the twins said.

"Hopefully they're all caught and chucked into Azkaban." The other twin finished.

"I wouldn't put my money on that happening," Hermione called out, leaning against the tree as she made her appearance known.

"Granger," Potter growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Present and accounted for," she said, mockingly.

"Your daddy tell you all to hide, Weasel?" Draco asked, stepping forward as well.

"Great, Malfoy's here too," Weasley muttered under his breath.

"We're all here, Weasley, would you expect anything else?" Blaise said, as he and Pansy appeared as well.

"Yes, actually, I expected you to be out there with your parents, wearing the masks." Potter said, disdainfully.

"If our parents _were_ out there, Potter, we wouldn't be likely to tell you, now would we?" Draco replied, smiling coldly.

She felt a pressure in her head, and she let Him in. _I'm a minute away, Hermione—you can leave now_.

Hermione took a deep breath but since her veins still coursed with the effects of the Dark magic, she felt a bit more daring than normal. _No_.

_I don't have time for your games. You need to walk away. Now_. She could feel his anger even through his thoughts, but she wasn't deterred by it.

_I want to see his face when he hears you're back, my Lord, we all do. We want them to know that it's you we're loyal to. So, either you can come out here with us—or you're going to miss your chance._

Hermione could vaguely hear the conversation continuing around her, but she was so deep into her own head that it sounded muffled and very far away. However, she felt His presence and knew that he was nearby. The fact of which was proven correct moments later when his thoughts were heard even clearer in her head, like he was standing next to her.

_If you think you have the right to issue me ultimatums, you'll learn the hard way how very wrong you are_.

_I know the risk—you're going to torture me, but it's worth it to be here for this_.

_I am going to torture you, and your friends. I thought they understood their place, even though it's clear that you don't_, the Dark Lord thought, so harshly that she almost recoiled.

_It's your move_,_ my Lord_, she thought, holding her breath with anticipation, _you're running out of time_.

_You should understand, Hermione, that I'm the one who issues the ultimatums_. _You can either leave now, or I will come out and torture you in front of Potter and his little gang of Gryffindors. Do you think that will show your loyalty to me_ _or prove the opposite_?

_ You wouldn't_, Hermione thought back, but knowing in her heart that he would not even hesitate.

_Don't try me, Granger_, he hissed, and she could feel him leave her mind.

Hermione was arrogant, she could admit that, and stubborn—the combination of those two traits meant that in her mind, nothing would be worse than being embarrassed like that and having Potter think she wasn't loyal to her Lord. But she knew that the Dark Lord would torture her, and enjoy it too, if she stayed a moment longer.

"Let's get out of here," she said, abruptly, apparently interrupting one of the Weasley twins mid-sentence. _I'm getting my loyalty across_, she told herself, _whether He likes it or not_, "I'm sure Potter has _other people_ to talk to." She smirked, casting Potter a smug look before walking back the way they came.

Hermione heard her friends following behind her and once they got far enough away, the questions began. She ignored them all, pulling out her wand and pointing it at a nearby boulder,

"_Bombarda_," she muttered, angrily, watching as it shattered into pieces. Rage filled her, fueled by the remnants of Dark magic, and she turned to a tree, "_Ascendio_."

She pulled her wand abruptly up, which ripped the tree from its roots and sent it flying into the air. Her vision turned black as her anger escalated and moments later, she was looking around at a clearing where there wasn't one before. The trees were all knocked down around her, some on fire and others just split into hundreds of pieces. _Did I do that_, she thought, disoriented, turning in a complete circle to take note of the damage. Finally, she saw her friends standing just out of the range of destruction, wide-eyed. It took a lot to surprise a Slytherin and took even more for them to show emotion, but they looked scared—not of her, but for her. She took a calming breath, finally feeling the Dark Magic leave her, and headed over to the group.

"I'm sorry," she said, breathlessly, "The Dark Lord warned me of the effects of using Dark Magic."

"We all know about the effects, Hermione," Pansy said, calmly, "But you're going to need to learn to control it."

She nodded briefly.

"So what happened to the plan?" Blaise asked her, "What changed your mind?"

"I didn't have much of a choice," she replied, "The Dark Lord responded to my ultimatum with one of his own—leave or he would come out and torture us in front of Potter."

"Making it look like we aren't apart of anything," Pansy said, nodding her head with understanding, "You made the right decision, none of us would want that."

"I suppose we should head back then," Blaise said, glancing around, "Except Hermione decided to blow up everything in sight—including our Portkey, I'm assuming."

"I may have been in a blacked out rage induced by Dark Magic, but I'm not an idiot," Hermione said, primly, "Follow me."

They all walked out of the newly made clearing and further into the forest, until they came across a tattered old leather purse. As they grabbed it, Hermione realized that Draco hadn't said a single word during the entire conversation.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thought I would get this chapter up fast. I'm quite proud of it honestly, so I hope you all enjoy it. For the sake of chapter one, please review! I was disappointed by the lack of reviews for the last chapter of Year 3, so make my day and review! Tell me what you liked, didn't like, suggestions, improvements, flames, anything! :)


	2. Loyalties

Chapter Two

Hermione was getting more anxious by the minute, and anxiety wasn't an emotion she was familiar with. The room began to fill as people returned from the Quidditch World Cup, their respective missions finished. The Dark Lord had not yet returned. She turned to look at her friends, who were trying to hide their own unease. Hermione knew she had gotten them into this mess.

"I'm telling him it was my idea," she told them, leaving no room for discussion, "It was stupid of me to think I could get my way on this—you're not going down with me." She expected an argument, but before anyone could speak, the door swung open. Hermione didn't even have to look up to know it was Him—everyone had gone silent. The only noise to be heard was his footsteps as he walked to the head of the table. Her breath hitched with nerves as his pace slowed as he passed her, but he didn't stop walking. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. _You made your bed, time to lay in it_.

"Good job, my friends," he began, once he had taken his seat, "Potter has successfully gotten the message, and I hope your night was fruitful as well," he waved his hand, and a list appeared in front of him, "Let's hear how our Mudblood extermination went."

He began going through the list of names of the targeted Mudblood Ministry employees, and the Death Eaters began to regale him with stories of their corresponding demises. Hermione was only half-listening, though not well, and only snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the Dark Lord repeat himself.

"Well? Alastair Thompson—the Head of the Muggle Liaison office? He was nearly at the top of the list, I will be _very _disappointed if no one managed to dispatch him."

"I took care of him, my Lord," Hermione said, quietly, not looking up from the spot on the table she'd be staring at. She did not see the shocked and impressed expressions of the people around the table, or the brief flicker of realization on the Dark Lord's face.

He nodded, without saying anything, then continued with the list.

"Draco, Blaise, and Pansy, come up here." The Dark Lord ordered. Hermione looked up quickly, making eye contact with Him for the first time since the meeting had begun. She could feel the anger just in that glance, before he rose to his feet as well. He stood in front of her friends, staring at each of them before speaking.

"Now, if I recall correctly, the mission I gave you was to distract Potter until I tracked your location and arrived. Am I wrong?"

"No, my Lord," they chorused. Hermione contemplated getting up. Why hadn't he called her name—he knew as well as she did that it was really only her fault.

"Then where was the confusion, my friends?"

"We wanted to see the look on Potter's face when he found out you had returned, my Lord," Draco said, repeating Hermione's own words.

"And where did you get this idea?" He asked, twirling his wand casually around his fingers.

"We all thought of it, my Lord," Draco replied.

"_Crucio_," the Dark Lord hissed and before Hermione could blink, Draco was on the ground, writhing under the Unforgiveable Curse. Hermione jumped to her feet, and rushed over to the group.

"It was my idea," she said, hastily, "You know it was my idea."

"I do know," the Dark Lord said, shortly, not looking away from Draco, as he held the curse for longer.

"Hermione," Draco managed to groan, "it's fine."

If anything, that seemed to make the Dark Lord angrier.

"So long as your friends put their loyalty to you before me, this will continue to happen."

"It won't happen again, my Lord," she said, "I promise."

He lifted the curse without a word, turning it to Blaise without even a glance in Hermione's direction.

"_Crucio_."

Blaise fell to the ground with a moan. Hermione made to move toward Draco to help him up, but someone grabbed her arm. She spun around, to see Barty Crouch Jr., with a serious expression on his face.

"Don't intervene," he said, quietly, "It will just make it worse for them—and for you."

She pulled away from the man, but didn't move toward Draco again; he had pulled himself to his feet anyway and was standing there subserviently, staring straight ahead. Hermione could see Draco shaking slightly, with the aftereffects of the Curse, but he suppressed them quickly. _Good, Draco_, she thought, _show your strength_. Hermione turned to look at Blaise just as the Dark Lord lifted his wand, ending the Curse. Using the distraction against Him, Hermione pushed into the Dark Lord's head. _Have you proven your point yet, my Lord_, she asked, trying to keep the ire out of her voice. As he turned his wand to Pansy, he replied, _until you've learned obedience, no_. Pansy cried out in pain as the curse struck her. Hermione took a calming breath, practicing compliance, as the Dark Lord commanded. _You don't control him, _she told herself, _he controls you—and all of us_. _I was foolish to think otherwise_. _This is how it is, and how it's supposed to be_.

The Dark Lord lifted the spell off of Pansy, waiting until she, too, rose to her feet. And then, with a flick of his hand, gestured for Hermione to join them. She walked over to the group immediately.

"_Crucio_," he said, quietly. Hermione let out a low moan, falling to her knees. She continued to stare at Him, though he was looking at her friends—bating them, warning them that whom they displayed their loyalty for would be crucial to how the rest of this evening played out. Even out of the corner of her eye, she could see that they didn't move. _Good_, she thought, through the pain, _it's about time this child's play ends—it's Him we should be loyal to_. He ended the curse, finally turning his burning gaze to her. She rose unsteadily to his feet.

"Now, does everyone understand where their loyalty must lie?" The Dark Lord asked, looking at each of them in turn. They nodded, before returning to their seats. She cast an apologetic glance at her friends, and they responded with small smiles. She knew they were willing to go down with her from the beginning, and now that they had learned their lessons, she knew there was no going back.

After the meeting had concluded, Hermione drew herself tiredly to her feet. She was about to walk out of the room, when the Dark Lord called her back.

"Hermione."

She headed over to him, standing before him until he gestured for her to sit.

"Do you need something, my Lord?"

"You killed Alastair Thompson tonight." It wasn't a question.

"It needed to be done." She said, frankly.

"Your sudden outburst in the woods makes sense then."

"I had that plan long before my little bout of Dark Magic." She admitted.

"I warned you what happens when you begin to practice," he said, casually, "and somehow, I don't believe you would have gone through with this scheme without those effects."

"We'll never know," she said, "but you've proven your point tonight. I'll not cross you again."

He grabbed her chin between his thumb and index finger, examining her face with a thoughtful expression, but the threat in his eyes was clear.

"I'm sure that you won't."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: I know this one is short, but I'm happy with where it went. Hermione has been a little sassy these last few chapters, getting a bit cocky, but I'm sure that brought her down a bit. Please review and make my day! I have a stressful night ahead-I have to make a speech, AAAH, I hate speeches. Tell me what you think of this chapter, and I'll see you next time!

**Personal Update: **It was a speech for an election for my co-ed fraternity... and I lost. :(

Thanks **BooksAndOreeeooo**, **Aghaliam**, **Midnight Little One**, **Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER**, **PurebloodsDoItBetter_, _AmayaBlack**, **DragonMistressOfRedemption888**, **Carlaisabel**, **KylieeJuliet1993**, **atlas-graceland**, **LadiePhoenix007**, **not really sane fairy**, and three guests for reviewing. 20 reviews in one chapter-keep it up! :)


	3. Playing Dirty

Chapter 3

"You're ready," the Dark Lord told her. It was the end of their final Legilimency lesson; Hermione was packed and ready to return to Hogwarts, her trunk sitting next to her in the library, reminding her that her time with the Dark Lord was up until the Christmas Holidays—if they were even allowed to return home. _How can I return to Hogwarts when I have so much to learn from Him_, she thought, but outwardly she smiled.

"I suppose we'll have to see."

"Confidence is crucial to success, Hermione, I suggest you try to have a bit more of it in order to fool Dumbledore and Snape."

"Trust me, my Lord, if there's one attribute I'm not lacking, it's confidence," she said, but then paused, "What do you mean, fool Dumbledore?"

"Don't think I forgot your parting words to Potter," he replied, casting her a displeased look, "Dumbledore will have heard about it now, and will have drawn his own conclusions."

"Right," Hermione made a rueful face, "I _am_ sorry about that, I wasn't thinking—"

The Dark Lord waved off her apology, "There's nothing to be done about it now. You will just need to keep your mind guarded at all times, even if you don't see the old fool around."

Hermione nodded at his command.

"Try to stay out of trouble, he'll be looking for ways to get you alone—and that's something you need to avoid. I don't trust what he would do to get information from you."

There was a knock on the door before the Dark Lord continued, and Hermione's father entered. He bowed quickly, before turning to Hermione.

"It's time to head to King's Cross."

"I'll meet you in the entryway in a few minutes." She told him, without looking at him.

The Dark Lord continued once her father had left the room.

"Potter will likely be on edge around you as well, but keep a sharp eye on him."

Hermione nodded again, knowing that this year Potter was the least of their worries.

"Moody will be a problem," he warned, "Dumbledore will have told him all about you. You must _never_ be alone with him. Keep your guard up around him during lessons, and don't show all of your strengths. He'll notice your Occlumency skills right off the bat—he'll try to enter your mind as soon as he can. When he finds out he can't, he'll be even more wary of you," the Dark Lord paused, "I believe that's it. But as I said, you are ready."

Hermione smiled again, glad that he had faith in her, but wondering if she was up to the task. This year was bound to be the hardest yet, and that wasn't even including schoolwork.

"When will you call the rest of the Death Eaters?" Hermione asked. It had been a question she'd wondered about since the meeting after the Quidditch World Cup, when he had changed his mind about calling the rest of his followers.

"Soon," he said, concisely, "Severus will come when he's called, and I would like to know of his loyalty one way or another before I reunite the rest of our friends."

"So it's dependent on me," Hermione realized, "and when I can get you the information you need."

"Which is why I need the information sooner rather than later," at that, the Dark Lord stood, "but you must get going—before you miss the train."

He held out a hand and helped her to her feet.

"Good luck," he told her, with a brief smile, "I expect I'll be talking to you soon."

* * *

><p>After boarding the Hogwarts Express, the four Slytherins headed straight to the last compartment, all the better for the privacy they required.<p>

"I've talked to the Dark Lord," Hermione began, "and we need to be especially vigilant around Moody. I expect you've been practicing Occlumency with your parents like I suggested?"

The three friends nodded.

"Good, I expect we'll need to guard our minds far more often than not. We must never be alone with Moody or Dumbledore—that means avoiding detention at all cost."

"Does that mean we won't be able to mess with Potter?" Blaise complained.

"No," she said, succinctly, "It simply means we'll have to be more careful than we used to be." She smiled at Blaise as he begun to concoct ways to torture the Gryffindors throughout the year.

"We can plan that later, Blaise," Pansy said, "I want Hermione to test my Occlumency."

Blaise stopped talking in anticipation of the show. Hermione turned to face Pansy, focusing in on her friend.

"Legilimens," she murmured.

Pansy put up a strong shield, blocking Hermione from her thoughts. She looked for a crack in the armor, somewhere that she could press through. When she finally found an infinitesimal break, she pushed through and broke the whole shield down.

"That was good, Pans. Make sure you focus on the shield throughout, so you can continue to strengthen it, and avoid cracks in your defense."

"Give me a go," Blaise requested, but as Hermione turned to him, their compartment door slid open.

"Oh, look who it is," Potter said, leaning against the doorway, "Voldemort's youngest Death Eaters."

"Potter," Hermione addressed, with a bored expression, twirling her wand threateningly around her fingers, "Do you need something or did you come in here simply to throw accusations at us?"

"We don't need accusations, Granger, we know you're all in league with You-Know-Who." Weasel replied.

"Be careful, Potter," Draco sneered, "if we _were_ in league with Him, it would probably be best not to cross us. Might get in over your head."

"That sounds like a threat, Malfoy." Potter snarled, taking a step further into their compartment.

"More like a promise," Draco said, coolly.

"Draco," Hermione said, unconcernedly, from her seat in the corner, "_Furnunculus_ or the Stinging Jinx?"

He didn't even turn to look at her, "Personally I think pain teaches a better lesson."

She nodded in agreement, before glancing at Weasel.

"_Acidum_."

Weasel let out a loud groan of pain and fell to his knees. Potter and Longbottom rushed to his side, as Hermione narrowed her eyes and intensified the spell. Her smirk grew as Weasel's groans escalated.

Moments later, she blinked—breaking her focus and ending the spell. She watched as the two Gryffindors helped Weasel to his feet. His face was bleeding, with burns from the effects of the stings. She hadn't performed a traditional Stinging Jinx, instead, she had used a wandless variation that the Dark Lord had taught her.

"You think you're going to get away with torturing him, Granger? Look at his face! You can't cover this one up." Potter growled.

Hermione stood up boldly, smirking all the while, as she walked over to Weasel. Potter made to block her, but Hermione pushed him aside. She pointed her wand at Weasel's face, shoving Potter back when he tried to move toward her again.

Weasel tried to cover himself from her, but she grabbed him roughly by his hair and pulled his face up to her wand.

"_Vulnera Sanentur_," she murmured. The wounds began to close up and the blood began to disappear, "I'd say you've lost your proof. Now get out of our compartment."

She sat back down, and raised her eyebrows expectantly. Potter's eyes were flashing with anger, and didn't move to exit. He withdrew his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Hermione.

"I believe she said to leave," Draco said, dangerously. Potter didn't answer, and didn't break his eye contact with Hermione as he backed out of the room. Weasel and Longbottom followed behind him.

"This year is going to be different," he promised them, "We're going to start playing as dirty as you do."

"I'd like to see you try, Potter," Hermione replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review and tell me anything and everything you think about this chapter. I love hearing from you all.

Thanks to **Midnight Little One**, **Carlaisabel**, **Ramyfan**, **Pank98**, **AmayaBlack**, **Ellybelly07**, **LadiePhoenix007**, **Aghaliam**, **Dramione231**, **not really sane fairy**, **aeireis**, **gabroche25** and four guests for reviewing!


	4. Guests at Hogwarts

Chapter 4

Hermione was doing everything she could to keep her eyes off of the former Auror after he had been introduced at the beginning of dinner. She knew that the longer she kept his attention off of her, the better it would be for her, but her curiosity was growing by the minute. He had taken the seat on Dumbledore's right, and she knew they were talking, as she could feel their eyes on her.

"They're still looking, aren't they?" Hermione whispered to Draco, who cast a quick glance at the head table. He subtly leaned closer to Hermione, trying to act natural,

"Yes," he muttered. Draco glanced across the table where Blaise and Pansy were sitting uneasily, "Everyone have their minds guarded?"

They nodded.

"I know that it feels uncomfortable keeping up the shields constantly, but it gets easier the more you do it," Hermione assured them. She, herself, knew that her mind barriers were strong, and it was hardly exerting any energy on her to keep as such. Although it would be rare for anyone to be able to infiltrate her mind from across the room, she knew that Dumbledore and Moody were no ordinary wizards—they could easily attempt it if they so desired.

"This is going to be a long year," Blaise declared. Hermione nodded, knowing that this was going to be the most challenging school year yet, but they had to complete their missions for the Dark Lord. It was time for them to really excel and rise through the ranks. Hermione had a feeling that if they succeeded this year, the Dark Lord would have no choice but to give them the Dark Mark and let them become official Death Eaters. After all, Draco had turned 15 only a month prior, and Hermione's birthday was in a few weeks. Blaise and Pansy would be 15 by the end of the school year. They would be the youngest Death Eaters in history, but it wasn't too impractical.

"Students, before we eat, I do have an announcement to make. I know that there have been rumors of something exciting happening at Hogwarts this year, and after a long summer of mystery and intrigue, it's time for me to finally tell you all.

"This year, Hogwarts will be host to a legendary competition—the Triwizard Tournament."

Hermione listened to the surprised gasps throughout the room, taking note of the confused looks of the Mudbloods with a snigger. As her gaze circled the room, she made the unfortunate mistake of glancing at the head table again—this time making eye contact with Moody. Both his real eye—dark, and beady, and his fake, electric blue one—were glaring at her suspiciously. Though she knew she should look away, she sensed the challenge in his eyes and felt a slight pressure in her mind. It was small—small enough that if she weren't trained in Occlumency, she wouldn't have even noticed it. She pushed him out a little bit too aggressively, if the flicker of surprise on his face was any indication. He leaned in toward Dumbledore, muttering something without ever taking his eyes off of her. _Shit_, she thought, turning quickly away to look back at her friends.

"The competition hasn't been held in over a century, and there have been many attempts throughout the years to revive this competition—none of which have been successful. However, we will talk about that later, after I have introduced our guests for the length of the competition. So first, let us welcome the students of Beauxbatons Academy and their headmistress, Madame Maxime."

The double-doors swung open right as Dumbledore finished the sentence. Students flowed into the Great Hall, in a swirl of light blue robes. There was a mixture of witches and wizards, all with an air of haughtiness that, in Hermione's opinion, came with living in France. She knew she had to keep a close eye on these students, looking for possible followers. However, Hermione thought for certain that the Durmstrang students would have more potential. Her father had friends in Russia, and she knew that she would have more of a kinship with the wizards from that region. She watched as the French students filled in seats, mostly at the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. No one at the Slytherin table made an attempt to move for the newcomers, obviously biding time until the Durmstrang students showed up.

"And now, please welcome the students of Durmstrang Institute and Headmaster Volkov."

Immediately, the members of Slytherin house began to shove over, making enough room for the incoming students. Hermione twisted her head quickly to look at the entrance of the new headmaster. She wondered if he would be interested in joining them, as Durmstrang was known for their practices of the Dark Arts. She watched in interest as he led his students into the room. Hermione was staring so intently at him, she didn't notice the former Auror's magical eye watching her with suspicion and barely concealed ire.

Headmaster Volkov was tall, with light brown hair pulled back by a leather cord. He had a severe face, but more of an approachable air to him than Karkaoff had had. Beside him stood a younger man that looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn't place how she recognized him—until she heard the murmurs of 'that's Viktor Krum.' She could see the Weasel's eyes bulging out of his head as he noticed the Quidditch player.

"Do you think Viktor Krum is viable?" Pansy asked, "I wouldn't mind sitting next to him at meetings, if you get my meaning."

"He would be a score," Hermione conceded, "We'll have to keep an eye on him. Headmaster Volkov too."

Hermione watched as the Durmstrang students began to sit down, almost all of them going to the Slytherin table. Viktor Krum sat a few seats down, on the opposite side of the table.

"Now, to give more information about the tournament, we have Mr. Crouch, the head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Mr. Bagman, the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a smattering of applause as the extra men, who had been sitting at the head table, stood up to address the crowd.

"Barty's father," Draco noted, "Wonder what he'll have to say about that."

"Oh, Barty knew that his father would be here," Hermione told them, "He told me to expect him."

The three friends looked at her in surprise, "You've been having _conversations_ with Barty Jr.?"

"How is that possible—don't you have some sort of strange rivalry with him?" Pansy asked.

"Keep your enemies closer." She said, tersely.

Draco shook his head, laughing. Hermione shoved him, grinning, before looking up at the head table as the Ministry employees begun to speak.

"For those of you who have not heard of the Triwizard Tournament, I will explain it briefly. One champion from each school will be chosen by an unbiased judge to compete in three tasks. Due to the dangerous aspect of this Tournament, we have added a new stipulation—no one under the age of 17 may enter into the competition." Barty Crouch cut off as people reacted to the new requirement.

There was a roar of outrage, particularly at the Gryffindor table. She specifically heard several Weasley's yelling. Lugo Bagman took over the speech, talking over the shouts until they died down.

"The winning champion will receive 1,000 Galleons, as well as this." He revealed the Triwizard Cup, a shining trophy to help stroke the winner's ego, probably for many years to come.

"Look like the twin Weasels are a little put out," Draco said, "They could use that reward money."

"This competition will prove to be a good distraction," Pansy said.

"Yes, possibly, or more likely it will just flood the school with Ministry employees." Hermione replied.

"Well, that's one way to be a pessimist," Blaise cut in, "though you're probably right."

"I'm more worried about Moody and Dumbledore," Draco said, "if Potter really did tell Dumbledore that we're loyal to the Dark Lord, it'll be hard to make any moves without them down our throats."

"Let's not worry about any of that now," Pansy suggested, "we'll get this all done. Speaking of which, Hermione, when are you going to try to enter Professor Snape's mind to get the information we need?"

"I'm going to try to get a detention with him as soon as possible, so I can get him alone. Then I'll bring up something relevant to see where his mind goes."

After Crouch and Bagman had finished speaking, they sat down at the head table as well. Everyone began to eat then, conversing with each other. Hermione rotated between keeping an eye on Moody, Dumbledore, Snape, Potter, and Viktor Krum, only managing to eat a few bites of food while talking casually with her friends. Blaise hadn't been exaggerating, it certainly was going to be a tiring year.

When dinner concluded, Hermione hooked arms with Pansy and hurried up to a group of Durmstrang students, including Viktor Krum.

"Remember, he's a celebrity," Pansy advised, "he's used to girls fawning all of him—we need to just introduce ourselves, but talk to him the least. Ignore him, even, but be cordial."

"Wow, I think this is the first time we've ever talked about flirting advice," Hermione said, laughing. Pansy nudged her, with a smirk, before reaching Krum first.

"Mr. Krum," Pansy said, coyly, holding her hand out, "Pansy Parkinson."

"It is nice to meet you," he said, taking it and bringing his lips to it for a kiss. He then turned to look at Hermione.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said, with a smile, accepting his offered hand as well. Pansy and Hermione glanced at his three friends.

"This is Aleksei Pozniak," he said, "Dmitri Sokoloff, and Ivan Volkov." All three of his friends looked alike, with dark hair and eyes. They were all quite handsome, including Viktor. Hermione turned to Ivan, while Pansy began talking to Dmitri.

"Volkov—any relation to your Headmaster?" Hermione asked, with a curious smile.

"Yes, he is my father," the man said, with a small smile.

"How fascinating," she replied, smirking at her good luck, "would you all like to come down to the Slytherin common room so we can all get to know each other a little better?"

"Headmaster Volkov said ve aren't allowed to go to the dormitories—it vas your headmaster's rule." Aleksei told them.

"Well, you'll learn quickly that Slytherins, especially us, don't like to follow the rules—particularly ones made by Dumbledore." Hermione quipped, grinning.

The four boys smirked, and followed Hermione and Pansy to the dungeons.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Here's another chapter for you, finally Viktor Krum is here! I'm looking forward to Hermione trying to seduce him (not literally, come on, guys..) to the Dark Side. Maybe Pansy can convince him... who knows? Anyway, please review and tell me how you liked the chapter.

Thanks to **Isabella Nicole Night**, **Lorna Potter**, **emily. .5**, **Pank98**, **Aghaliam**, **AmayaBlack**, **atlas-graceland**, **CassieRenee333**, **LadiePhoenix007**, **remicapulet**, and two guests for reviewing.

Please review and make me happy and make my day.. or night, I guess! :D


	5. The Imperius Curse

Chapter 5

As luck, or misfortune, would have it, the Slytherins' first Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons fell on the same day. This meant that Hermione had to figure out how to get detention with Professor Snape, and avoid any unnecessary interactions with Professor Moody. They had Defense Against the Dark Arts immediately after breakfast, and headed there early, though not early enough that they would be the first students in the room. Pansy had lagged a bit behind, talking to a few members of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Hermione warned her to keep track of time, but she trusted her friend not to be late.

When they entered, Moody was nowhere to be seen, though the room was almost full of students. Word spread of Moody's first lesson, and everyone was quite excited to see what this renowned Auror had to teach.

"I just talked to Adrian," Pansy said, breathlessly, sitting down next to Hermione, "He had Defense this morning, and you'll never guess what Moody's about to make us do."

The rumors had been flying around the school about the lesson, but most of them had been exaggerations started by the older members of Gryffindor House. Hermione knew that Adrian would have given Pansy the real details.

"What?" She whispered back, nudging Draco to get his attention.

"He's going to teach us about the—" Pansy started, cutting off when Blaise cleared his throat dramatically, gesturing in front of him. The room had gone silent as the former Auror's office door opened and he began to head slowly down the stairs. Whatever they were about to learn must have been important, for Pansy tried to speak again,

"He's been using Un—"

Hermione shushed her, as Moody's fake eye rotated around the room, landing on them. She felt a pressure in her mind again, less subtle this time and a lot more aggressive. It was a silent dare to show her strength again, because he was using a more forceful tactic. She gasped quietly, unable to hide the brief wince of pain as he tried to push his way into her mind.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Draco asked, but she waved him off quickly, never breaking eye contact with Moody as he continually tried to break through her shields. He pressed again, harder this time, causing Hermione to groan audibly.

The entire exchange had only taken moments and only six students in the classroom had noticed it—Hermione's friends, and predictably, the so-called Golden Trio. The Gryffindors had been watching every move the Slytherins had made that week, so it wasn't surprising that they had caught on to this confrontation as well. Moody gave up, but he was petulant about it, Hermione could tell, as he violently left her mind. She let her head fall into her arms, which were resting on the desk, regrettably not able to deny herself a brief moment of weakness.

She could hear Pansy whispering to her, asking if she was okay, and when she raised her head back up, she noticed Draco and Blaise's dark glares at the former Auror.

"I'm fine," she whispered, "remember—don't do anything stupid, no detentions."

Moody began to speak, "I've looked through your coursework for the past three years, and it looks like you've learned quite a bit about Dark creatures. However, curses," he paused, "Curses, it seems you are behind on. So, we'll be focusing on that first—starting with the worst of them. Can anyone tell me the term given to the three curses that will land you immediately in Azkaban?"

A few people raised their hands. Moody pointed toward the Weasel,

"Arthur Weasley's son, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"A good man," Moody replied, before gesturing for him to answer the question.

"They're called the Unforgiveable Curses."

"Name one of them, and we'll start there."

"My dad did tell me about one, the Imperius Curse."

Moody nodded, with a thoughtful expression on his face, "Yes, the Imperius Curse gave the Ministry a lot of trouble. I was hoping we would start with this one. Now, we're going to start with the basics, before I test your strengths."

_Test our strengths, he can't mean what that sounds like_…

"The Imperius Curse takes control out of the victim's hands—giving all the power to the person casting the curse. It is nearly undetectable when used properly, which is what caused the Ministry so many problems. When Voldemort disappeared, the Ministry had dozens of Death Eaters claiming that they only joined the Dark Lord, because they were under the influence of the Imperius curse. Their problem was how to sort out who was telling the truth, and who was lying.

"Now, if it were up to the Ministry, that would be all I would tell you about the matter. However, I think that's wrong—I think, that you need to be _taught_ how to fight these curses, how to fight back! Do I have any volunteers to go first?"

The room was silent, unsure what he was asking.

"Don't worry, you'll all be doing it, and we'll be practicing the next few lessons."

His eyes scanned the room, looking for a volunteer. No one moved to raise their hands, and finally, as Hermione had expected, his gaze landed on her.

"Miss Granger, is it?" He asked, with a challenge in his voice. _So predictable_, Hermione thought to herself, smirking to show that she wasn't threatened by him.

"Yes, sir."

"I think I've met your father once or twice before."

Hermione got to her feet, ignoring the jab. Back when the Aurors were trying to get evidence on her father's allegiance to the Dark Lord, he had been questioned by Moody several times, before they had left the country. She walked up to the front of the room, stopping a few feet away from him.

"Perhaps," she replied, casually, "he's a popular man."

Moody raised his wand, pointing it at Hermione.

"Now, there is no shame in not being able to fight the curse," he told her, condescendingly, "but give it a try."

Hermione tried to suppress her smile. After a long summer with the Dark Lord, she was well trained in fighting off the Imperius Curse. All Hermione had to figure out was if she wanted to show him that or if she wanted him to think that she was weaker than she looked. She knew that the Dark Lord told her not to show him her strengths, but her ego was getting the best of her. She wanted him to know she was a worthy adversary.

"_Imperio_." He murmured. She felt a sensation in her mind, very light and a complete contrast to the roughness of his Legilimency. _Jump up and down_, a foreign voice ordered. _No, I'm fine, thanks_, she replied, but the foreign voice repeated the order. _I don't really want to, sorry_. The voice paused, _tell me about Voldemort_. The floating sensation that occurred when under the Imperius curse got stronger as he increased the intensity of the curse. _No, I don't think I will_.

_ How did he return_?

Hermione began to get lightheaded under the forcefulness of the Imperio. She was gasping in breaths, trying to keep herself under control. Black spots began to fill her vision, and Hermione blinked furiously trying to regain her sight. _What are you hiding_? _What are his plans_?

She vaguely heard the sound of someone scraping their chair back and getting up. A figure walked toward her, though she couldn't quite make out who it was. _Where is he_? _Who brought him back_?

Draco reached her as she began to lose her balance, grabbing her as she fell.

"That's enough," he hissed, helping her back to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her back to her chair. She was shaking, grabbing onto his shirt for support.

"Very good," Moody said, unenthusiastically, "Miss Granger was able to fight off the Imperius Curse—very rare for someone so young, so I don't expect anyone else to be able to. Now, who wants to go next?"

Hermione didn't know how she got back to her seat, unaware of anything that had happened after she began to fall. She didn't look at Moody, not wanting to risk him trying to use Legilimency on her while she was still feeling weak. Luckily for her, it took a lot of focus for him to use the Imperius Curse on the remainder of the students. _He was going easy on his Legilimency earlier_, she thought to herself, _trying to catch me off guard_—_so I wouldn't realize how powerful he is._ Hermione knew that her Occlumency was strong, but it was going to take a lot of power to keep this up all year.

Hermione was feeling a bit better by the time it was Potter's turn to go under the curse. The lesson was about to be over, and only Hermione, Draco, Pansy and Blaise had been able to fight it off. It had been rather amusing watching their classmates struggle, but Hermione was curious to see how Potter fared.

"_Imperio_." Moody murmured. Hermione watched Potter's expression clear as the curse hit and he grinned dreamily. However, she saw his expression change as he begun to fight the curse, finally ending up sprawled out on the floor. Hermione couldn't really figure out if that made it a success, or failure.

"Good work, Mr. Potter," Moody said, "You almost had it. Try again."

He put Potter under the curse three more times, until he successfully fought it off. Hermione was impressed by his natural ability, as much as she hated to admit it.

The lesson ended, and Draco helped Hermione to her feet.

"Miss Granger, a word, please."

Hermione froze, and Draco's grip on her waist tightened. _Already he wants to see me alone, what a great start_. Hermione walked up to Moody's desk, not turning around, as she already knew her friends hadn't moved. _Not quite alone, then_, she assured herself.

"Alone." He clarified, glaring at her friends, "that's an order."

Hermione took a deep breath to prepare herself for what was about to be a very challenging conversation.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Here's another chapter, with Hermione's first close-up interaction with Moody! I really liked this chapter, so I hope you all did too. Please review and tell me what you think! I really, REALLY, want to hear what you liked, didn't like, etc.!

Thanks to **zombiekins5948**, **Bobbie1776**, **Super MKatR**, **SuperWhoLockGirl10**, **AmayaBlack**, **Isabella Nicole Night**, **Ramyfan**, **Aeireis**, **Aghaliam**, , **Pank98**, **Midnight Little One**, and two guests for reviewing the last chapter!

**CLARIFICATION: **Because a lot of people have been asking—Professor Moody is Professor Moody. The Dark Lord is back, doesn't need Harry to be in the Triwizard Tournament to get his blood, and already has spies inside of Hogwarts. He doesn't need Barty Crouch Jr. to impersonate him. So, just so we're all on the same page, BCJ is not at Hogwarts, it really is Alastor Moody.


	6. Here's to You

Chapter 6

She heard the door close as her friends left the room, and it sounded to Hermione like a jail cell closing her in. She put up her shields, prepared to see how Moody would act with her alone. She had to admit, she was scared. Hermione had heard stories of how far Moody would go to capture Death Eaters; the fact that the Dark Lord himself said to never be alone with him was proof enough of his power. And yet, within the first week, she already had managed to go get herself right into a situation she had wanted to avoid. Moody waved his wand and a chair came pulling up next to his desk. He gestured for her to sit.

"Very impressive work with the Imperius Curse, Miss Granger." He said, coolly, grimacing, though she assumed it was an attempt at a fake smile.

"Thank you, Professor. It was just beginner's luck."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Hermione didn't reply, not sure what to say. This was not that start of the school year that she needed. If this kept up, Moody would expose her and her friends by the end of September.

"Did your father teach you? I assume it was his master's idea."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Hermione replied, quietly.

"I'm a busy man, so let's skip the part where you deny it."

Hermione stared at him, trying to keep her face neutral,

"What it sounds like you're implying is that my father is somehow connected to the Dark Lord, which was proven false by the Ministry years ago. Besides, last I checked, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was dead. Have I been misinformed?"

"Don't be smart with me, girl. I've talked to Dumbledore and Potter. Slytherins are the only liars around here, especially children of Death Eaters."

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, sir."

Moody stood up, limping around his desk to stand next to her. She stayed silent, but lifted her face to stare up at him.

"I'm going to wear you down," he promised, towering over her, "I am not going to give you a second's peace until you are _begging_ to tell me everything."

Hermione took a shaky breath, but smiled outwardly.

"Have a good day, Professor Moody."

With that she turned around and walked out of the room. The second the door closed behind her, Hermione glanced back, worried that he would follow her. When it became apparent that he was letting it go for now, Hermione hurried away from the classroom.

Hermione headed down to the dungeons, already late for Potions. _What am I going to do about Moody_, she asked herself, _what am I going to _do? She stopped outside of the Potions classroom, leaning against the wall. She glanced at her hand, noticing that it was shaking. _Oh Merlin, I'm in over my head here_. _He's a former Auror, he's seen right through me from the start, all because I wanted to show Potter my true colors at the Cup._

"Damn," she whispered, "_damn _it."

_And Dumbledore knows too, what have I gotten myself into_?

Hermione didn't know how long she stood there before she finally calmed down enough to enter the room. _At least that's one good thing that came out of that conversation_, she thought, _there's no way Professor Snape can avoid giving me detention_.

Taking a deep gulp of air, she pushed open the door to the classroom.

"Miss Granger, I'm glad you finally decided to join us," Professor Snape said, turning around to face her, "I trust you have an excuse for your tardiness."

"I don't," she said, tersely. He raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"You're nearly an hour late."

"I know, sir."

He sighed, and Hermione sat down next to Draco, waiting for the punishment.

"Detention tonight—after dinner."

She took a sigh of relief, "Yes, sir."

"How did it go?" Draco muttered, sending her a side-glance as he stirred the potion in front of him.

"Badly."

"What happened?" He stopped stirring and picked up his knife to chop the next set of ingredients. Before he could begin, Hermione grabbed the blade from his hand and pulled the cutting board out from under him. She didn't speak again until she had begun cutting the Valerian root.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Draco cast a look in her direction, "So it really was that bad."

"We're screwed," she told him, passing the chopped ingredient back over to him.

"We are _not_ screwed," he assured her, but he paused, "Tell me, Hermione."

Hermione prepared herself for Draco's negative reaction,

"He told me he would wear me down," Hermione said, quietly, "and eventually I would beg to tell him everything."

Draco's eyes darkened with anger, as Hermione expected. He put down the next ingredient, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

"If he thinks he can get away with threatening you, I swear—"

"We're in over our heads, Draco, we can't do this—he's going to figure me out, he's going to figure us all out."

"Calm down, Hermione," he said, placing a hand over hers on the table, "we just have to take it all one step at a time."

She nodded, unsteadily.

"Good. Now, pass me the porcupine quills."

* * *

><p>As Hermione headed toward detention after dinner that night, she waved her wand and the time appeared: 6:57. She had calmed down a bit, and had even been able to come up with a decent plan. During lunch, she had Owled the Dark Lord with the idea. At 7:30, the Dark Lord was going to call Professor Snape with his Mark. Professor Snape wouldn't be able to leave directly while in detention with her, but his mind would immediately show his loyalties.<p>

She walked in without knocking, heading straight up to Professor Snape's desk.

"You'll be cleaning the classroom, Miss Granger. Shouldn't be too bad, I made a couple of second years do it last week."

"Thank you, Professor."

She started with the tables, keeping a close eye on the time. Professor Snape was right; the room was pretty clean already, giving his favorite Slytherin preferential treatment, as always. _Merlin, I hope he's loyal to the Dark Lord_, Hermione thought, _I would hate for him to have to die for his allegiances._

Hermione sat down at exactly 7:29 pretending to be washing the table closest to his desk, as she stared at Professor Snape. He grimaced and looked at his arm in disbelief. Hermione pointed her wand at him from under the table, focusing, and began to whisper,

"_Legili_—"

The door swung open, and Hermione whipped around in her chair. Professor Moody sauntered in, casually. They made eye contact immediately and Moody smirked. At the same moment, Professor Snape jumped up to meet him, trying to look nonchalant. When Moody reached him, Professor Snape leaned forward to whisper heatedly in Moody's ear. Moody nodded, and gestured at the door. With that, Professor Snape walked out of the room.

_Dear Merlin, that did not just happen_, she thought to herself, _I just screwed that up, magnificently_.

"I will be supervising the remainder of your detention, Miss Granger."

"Actually, I believe I was just about done." Hermione said, standing up. Moody walked slowly up to the desk she had just been occupying and ran a finger down it, then examined it with a serious expression on his face.

"No, I don't think you are. Clean the tables again."

Hermione was on edge for the remainder of the detention, her shields in place, but Moody never even attempted to enter her mind. _Is this how he's going to break me down_, she wondered to herself, _letting me think I'm safe so I'm vulnerable to attack_? Three hours later, when he had _finally_ let her go, Hermione was so tense she felt like her back might break. She knew that her friends would be waiting in the common room to hear how her night went, and she couldn't bear to tell them that she'd failed—that Professor Snape now would go to the Dark Lord, either of his own volition or with Dumbledore's permission, and Hermione wouldn't be able to tell Him anything about his allegiances.

She headed outside and made it to Hogsmeade before she had even realized she walking in that direction. It was just before midnight, and the streets were calm. The only noise was coming from the boisterous drunks in the Three Broomsticks, and so that's where Hermione entered. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the shouts and music had made it seem, so Hermione found a seat at the bar easily. Surprisingly, Madam Rosmerta approached her within minutes, taking her drink order—a Firewhiskey. Hermione's father had a particular fondness for the drink and always nursed one when he was stressed. Apparently, it was a family trait because that was all Hermione was craving at the time.

Smiling in thanks, Hermione tossed a few coins on the bar before grabbing the shot glass. _Here's to you, Hermione,_ she thought, bitterly,_ for ruining the best chance you had at determining Snape's loyalty_. She threw back the shot quickly before gesturing for another one.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>-ducks behind wall to avoid things being thrown at me for underaged drinking- I really enjoyed this chapter, and Hermione's slow but sure spiral into "how the fuck am I going to pull this off?" Before you review and say to me that she's too young to be drinking and that it's unrealistic or just that you don't like it... just don't. She's in a stressful situation, and sometimes alcohol abuse is a result of that. Not that she's abusing it or will, but all I'm saying is that situations occur and that can be the result. I hope you liked this chapter, it took me a long time to write it! I had some severe writer's block, so please review and tell me I'm pretty and that you like it. Just kidding, but seriously, I could use some compliments it has been a long couple of weeks.

Thanks to **Bobbie1776**, **AmayaBlack**, **atlas-graceland**, **Pank98**, **Santana Starr**, **Aghaliam**, **aeireis**, **hoshiakari7**, **ficfangirl21**, **gabroche25**, **zombiekins5948**, and two guests for reviewing.

I specifically want to thank **not really sane fairy**, your review definitely influenced the way this chapter went, and I hope you enjoyed it and thought it was more interesting-eeek, I don't know, I mean, let me know!


	7. Coward

Chapter 7

"Hermione, where _have_ you been the last few days?" Pansy asked, tensely, as Hermione dropped down in her usual seat, which had been habitually empty the latest several meals. Eleven, if Hermione was counting—which she wasn't, not that anyone would dare to ask. She hadn't taken a meal in the Great Hall since Thursday. On Friday, she simply hadn't been able to stomach any food. She didn't understand why anyone would drink alcohol if the daylong nausea and headache were the consequences. She'd barely been able to tolerate sitting in her classes, choosing a seat by the door for a quick exit. However, by the end of the day, she found herself back at the Three Broomsticks.

Saturday morning she was faring better, as she had stolen a Hangover Potion out of Professor Snape's potion stores. Still trying to avoid explaining what had happened at detention, she woke up early, grabbing some breakfast from the kitchens. She then hid out in the library all day, skipping lunch and dinner. Hermione only left the library once to sneak back into Professor Snape's stores and nick half a dozen Hangover Potions. As was becoming the routine, she was at the Three Broomsticks before midnight, though that night she had just stuck with butterbeer.

Sunday had started off all right; she had been in the library for only a few hours when Viktor and his friends had came up to sit with her. She had rather enjoyed their company, and had almost made the decision to not go to the Three Broomsticks, but then Moody walked into the library. Hermione barely muttered a goodbye before darting out a side door. _Coward_, she had told herself, as she sped walk down the hall, casting glances behind her. _You are a coward_. She drank Firewhiskey after Firewhiskey, not returning home until the early hours in the morning.

The Hangover Potion only partially cured her pounding head that morning, so she had skipped breakfast and all of her morning classes. It had just been History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures, so she knew her presence wouldn't be missed. However, she knew she couldn't avoid her friends forever, just like she couldn't avoid Professor Moody. They had Defense Against the Dark right after lunch, after all.

Hermione glanced around the table at the food options, carefully calculating what was least likely to make her nauseous. She only replied to Pansy after she had taken a long gulp of water.

"What do you mean? I've been around."

"Drop the act," Draco said, "we haven't seen you since classes on Friday, and you were completely avoiding us."

"What Draco means to say is that we're worried that something really bad happened at your detention with Professor Snape."

"Is he loyal to Dumbledore? Is that what happened? And you're afraid to tell us and face the reality of what will happen to him?" Blaise asked.

"No," she snapped, rubbing her head to soothe the headache that her friends' questions were causing her.

"Well," Pansy started, digging through her bag, "You got a letter from the Dark Lord at breakfast this morning."

Hermione grabbed at it, but Pansy pulled back, with a smile full of derision.

"I'll give you it when you tell us what happened."

Sighing, Hermione looked at Draco and Blaise. They looked as though they agreed with Pansy, and would be no help in getting the letter back without detailing her failure.

"Fine," she said, "It was bad, like everything else I've done this year. Moody walked in right as I was casting the spell. Professor Snape practically ran out of the room—whether to go to Dumbledore, or straight to the Dark Lord, we'll never know."

Her friends were silent for a few moments, and it was Pansy who spoke first.

"There'll be other chances. I don't know why you're being so hard on yourself."

Shrugging, Hermione took another sip of her water. She glanced at the food on her plate, before shoving it away, nauseous again.

"Hermione, you have to eat," Draco coaxed, pushing the plate back toward her.

"I _have_ been eating," she snapped, "I've just been going to the kitchens."

"What about sleeping, have you been doing any of that?" Pansy asked, "Because I've heard you come in around dawn the last few nights, stumbling around like a drunk."

Hermione averted her eyes, knowing that Pansy was only using the comparison, not actually thinking that she was drinking.

"I'm fine," Hermione said, shortly, standing up quickly and plucking her letter out of Pansy's hand as she strode out of the Hall. She had barely closed the doors behind her before her stomach heaved and she rushed to an alcove to throw up.

"That doesn't sound good."

Hermione turned around slowly, lifting her head to see Potter standing there with a smug smirk.

"Potter, you're really the last person I want to deal with right now." Hermione told him, wiping a hand across her mouth, and subtlety put the Dark Lord's letter into her bag.

"I noticed you weren't in Care of Magical Creatures this morning," he walked closer to her, "Stress already getting to you?"

The emphasis on the word 'stress' was not lost on Hermione; he certainly wasn't talking about schoolwork.

"Not at all," she replied, smoothly, "Just feeling a bit under the weather."

Potter took a deep breath, and his smirk transformed into an amused grin.

"You smell like whiskey," he whispered, before walking away, laughing quietly.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned to _Scourgify _the mess on the floor, then headed outside. As everyone was at lunch, it was easy to find a private place to open her letter. She settled under a tree by the lake and broke open the Dark Lord's seal to read his inevitable displeasure.

_Hermione,_

_An old friend has finally stopped by. I was most surprised that I hadn't heard from you beforehand. I expect something must have come up on your end, and look forward to hearing the explanation. Respond within the week._

It was in code and unsigned, for obvious reasons. The Dark Lord didn't trust that Moody and Dumbledore wouldn't intercept her letters. She growled in frustration—the last thing she wanted to do was figure out how to write an encoded response. Professor Snape had come to Him, and she wanted to know everything. After rifling through her bag for supplies, she begun her response,

_Yes, so far this school year has been extremely taxing, and I find that nothing is going my way. I suppose that's expected for my fourth year—OWLs are next year, after all, assuming I make it that long. I would love to hear how your visit went, as I know very little about your friend_.

If that didn't get the message across to the Dark Lord that she'd failed and was at serious risk of Moody finding out everything, she didn't know what would. She sighed, knowing that she should head back up to the castle. Lunch would be over soon enough, and she shouldn't risk being late to Moody's class. _Only we're practicing with the Imperius Curse again_, she thought, dreading the lesson. _Lesson on the Imperius Curse, vs. detention_—she weighed the options, easily realizing that one-on-one time with Professor Moody was far worse than a classroom setting. She groaned and pulled herself to her feet.

When Hermione entered the classroom, she saw Draco, Blaise and Pansy huddled around a parchment. She sunk down into the seat next to Draco.

"We know how to get Moody sacked," he whispered to her.

"Glad someone can do something right," she replied, "what's the plan?"

"Well, he's put this practically right into our hands. The fact he thinks he can teach us illegal curses and _perform_ them in a classroom? If the Ministry got wind of that…"

"So I suppose you're going to help them along to gain that information."

"Seems like that right thing to do," Draco replied, with a grin.

The room went silent as Moody's office door opened. Hermione's heart all but stopped when she made eye contact with the former Auror. _Coward_, she told herself, _weak, little coward. _She forced a smirk onto her face, trying to act confident, though she knew it looked brittle. Draco grabbed her hand under the table, giving it a squeeze,

"Relax," he whispered, "it'll be fine."

Hermione didn't like the person she was quickly turning into. Moody was bringing out an anxiety and fear in her that she had never had before. However, she didn't know how to get past it. She could only hope that her friends' plan worked quickly and would have Moody out of a job.

* * *

><p>Moody left Hermione's second round with the Imperius for last. The lesson would be over in five minutes, but that certainly was long enough for Hermione to be mentally tortured by her professor. She walked unsteadily to the front of the room, hoping she was portraying more poise than she felt. Hermione could only think of one way to get out of this unscathed, but it was risky. Professor Moody had started off with a legitimate command last time—to jump up and down. If she let the curse take over and did whatever he ordered to do right away, he would have to move onto the next person. Of course, this was assuming that he started off as he had before.<p>

"Let's see if Miss Granger can show her impressive strength with the Imperius Curse again—perhaps it was just a stroke of luck before."

Hermione closed her eyes, as Moody raised his wand.

"_Imperio_."

As the floating sensation began to take over her body, she heard a calming voice—_how did the Dark Lord come back_?

_There's a reason I shouldn't be answering that_, she thought, blissfully, _but I can't think of what that could be._

"We found out about his—"

She didn't see Draco's wand pointed at her under the desk, didn't hear his whispered words,

"_Somnus_."

She felt her eyes flutter closed once—then twice, before she began to fall.

* * *

><p>Draco got to his feet right after Hermione hit the ground. <em>That must have hurt<em>, he thought, grimacing, but there was nothing he could have done. It would have looked suspicious if he had gotten up too soon.

"Sorry, Professor Moody," he said, smoothly, "she hasn't been feeling well recently. I told her to go see Madam Pomfrey after lunch, but she insisted on coming to class. I'll take her to the Hospital Wing now."

He didn't wait for his professor's reply before reaching down to pick Hermione up. Draco glanced at Pansy as he passed her, pushing lightly into her mind, _meet us in the common room after class._ She nodded imperceptibly.

He knew he could have just lifted the charm and had Hermione walk back herself, but she really did seem to need the sleep. What Pansy had joked about at lunch was true, he had seen it in her eyes—she had been drinking every night. Draco had first suspected it Friday morning, but he was sure of it now. Hermione was spiraling fast, due to Moody's increased focus on her. However much he disliked Moody, Draco had to give credit where credit was due; the former Auror knew how to push people. He was surprised that Moody had chosen Hermione to go after—because as much as Draco respected Pansy, she seemed like the most obvious choice. But apparently, Moody saw something in Hermione, as he was obviously breaking her down. Draco didn't know why Moody was only persecuting Hermione, but he did know what he had to do about it. He had to give Moody something else to focus on, or rather, someone else.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Draco to the rescue! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please review and tell me what you think!

Thanks to **zombiekins5948**, **Santana Starr**, **Little Miss Fiendfyre**, **AmayaBlack**, **aeireis**, **cleotheo**, **not really sane fairy**, **Aghaliam**, **Midnight Little One**, **Bobbie1776**, **hoshiakari7**, **Chester99**, **Pank98**, and two guests for reviewing.


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